Whether you’ve whizzed off to a sun-lounger in far-flung climes this month or simply curled up on your sofa trying to zone out our abysmal British ‘summer’, you need a good book to lose yourself in. You can’t beat a word-of-mouth literary recommendation so here’s what the Muddy HQ crew have been reading on their holidays. What’s that – little Johnny’s scraped his knee by the swimming pool? Hang on, just need to finish this chapter…

Hot Milk by Deborah Levy – chosen by founder Hero Brown

I could pretend I’m taking this to Croatia because it was Booker shortlisted last year but actually I’ve chosen it purely on the basis that it’s the novel that’s cropped up more than any other on my Instagram feed this summer. Everyone I know seems to be reading it (and styling it cutely on a sunlounger, next to a glass of rosé, of course). It explores the relationship between a mother and her grown-up daughter, who arrive in a sultry, Spanish coastal resort seeking treatment for the former’s mysterious paralysis. I’ve seen reviewers compare it to Virginia Woolf so that’s me sold.

Yesterday by Felicia Yap – chosen by associate editor Kerry Potter

I’ve read about 8,000 thrillers in the last few years and around 7,999 of them have been compared to Gone Girl by their publishers. However, this one, which comes with an almighty dollop of hype, is something genuinely different – and was a lifesaver during my holiday in Cornwall last week when it didn’t stop raining. At all. For the entire week. It’s set in a parallel world where people are either Monos or Duos. The former can only remember the previous 24 hours, the latter the last 48; with everyone noting down their memories in electronic ‘iDiaries’ each night. So when the body of a glamorous blonde washes up on a riverbank, solving the murder proves something of a challenge when no one can remember what has happened. Or can they? The writing is a bit shonky in places, but the concept is lots of fun. Now, has it stopped raining in Cornwall yet?

Currently I’m tearing through this candid diary by the recently departed Vogue editor. I’m really enjoying her honesty – she’s very open about feeling stressed and being scared of flying, and her love for her family comes across very strongly. Back in the day I used to work on Marie Claire magazine looking after their fashion advertisers so it’s also making me reminisce about fun times in my twenties and thirties. Those were the days!

Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams – chosen by marketing director Sascha Way

I’m going trekking in Peru in September so over the summer I’ll be prepping by reading this New York Times best-seller about a man who recreates the original 1911 expedition to the famous archaeological site. I’ve been assured it’s a funny, down-to-earth must-read -although I’m hoping it’s not going to terrify me about the prospect of camping out for four nights up an Andean mountain.

I watched the recent TV adaptation of this 1985 dystopian classic on Channel 4 and absolutely loved it. I’m a huge Margaret Atwood geek and so this summer I’m going to re-read the book and compare it to the series (hey, it keeps me out of trouble!) I’m pretty sure I remember the main character Offred being far more objectionable in print than she was on TV…

The Line Of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst – chosen by editorial assistant Sarah Taylor

This is an old favourite and a fabulous, evocative depiction of a moment in time. Set in the summer of 1987 amid London’s super-rich and privileged set, it follows Oxford grad Nick Guest in an undulating narrative of all things beautiful and sordid, with language that’s brutally raw one moment and then heart-rendingly lyrical the next. Through Nick’s perspective, we see how this world of entitlement is riddled with drug-taking and secret sexual adventures. It’s a total page-turner.

It’s been 20 years since her first novel The God of Small Things (which I loved) and I can’t wait a minute longer to dive into this one. The big and baggy tale, set in India after Partition, is told through the eyes of a transgender woman Anjum and an architect Tilo – plus zillions of other characters. One to really get stuck into….

What are you reading this summer – anything we need to put on our own must-read lists?! Let us know in the comment box below.